Key Topics in U.S. History: Industrial Era to Civil Rights

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

Government does not interfere in the economy.

Regulated Capitalism

Government sets rules to protect workers and consumers.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Law to stop monopolies and encourage competition.

Minimum Wage

Lowest legal amount a worker can be paid.

Carnegie Steel

Major steel company owned by Andrew Carnegie.

Homestead Strike

Violent 1892 steelworker strike against Carnegie Steel.

Pullman Strike

Nationwide railroad strike over wage cuts and high rents.

AFL (American Federation of Labor)

Union for skilled workers led by Samuel Gompers.

16th Amendment

Allowed federal income tax.

17th Amendment

Direct election of U.S. Senators by the people.

18th Amendment

Banned alcohol (Prohibition).

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

NAACP

Civil rights group fighting racism, founded in 1909.

NAWSA

Women's group pushing for voting rights.

Muckraker

Journalist who exposed corruption and problems.

Gospel of Wealth

Carnegie's idea that rich people should help the poor.

Federal Trade Commission Act

Created FTC to stop unfair business practices.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Agency that regulates business practices.

Child Labor Act

Tried to stop children from working dangerous jobs.

Federal Reserve Act

Created the Federal Reserve to control money and banking.

Eugene Debs

Socialist labor leader, led the Pullman Strike.

Socialist Party

Political party for worker rights and public ownership.

Trust Buster

Nickname for presidents who broke up monopolies (especially T. Roosevelt).

Department of Labor

Government department that helps workers.

Meat Inspection Act

Required meat to be safe and inspected.

Pure Food and Drug Act

Made sure food and drugs were labeled honestly.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Enforces safety of food and medicine.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's plan for fairness—control corporations, protect consumers, conserve nature.

New Freedom

Wilson's plan to break up monopolies and support small business.

Bull Moose Party

Progressive party created by T. Roosevelt in 1912.

Election of 1912

Wilson won; vote was split between Roosevelt and Taft.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. promise to stop the spread of communism.

Domino Theory

Belief that if one country fell to communism, neighbors would too.

Marshall Plan

U.S. gave money to rebuild Europe after WWII to stop communism.

NATO

Alliance of U.S. and European countries for mutual defense.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet version of NATO with Eastern European allies.

Soviet Satellites

Eastern European countries controlled by the USSR.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Tet Offensive

Surprise attack by North Vietnam; turned U.S. public against the war.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Tonkin Gulf Incident

Alleged attack on U.S. ships; led to more U.S. troops in Vietnam.

My Lai Massacre

U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians.

NYT v US (1971)

Supreme Court allowed the press to publish Pentagon Papers.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked documents showing U.S. government misled public about Vietnam.

Kent State

National Guard shot students protesting Vietnam War.

Counterculture

Youth movement in the 1960s rejecting traditional values.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Banned voting discrimination (e.g. literacy tests).

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Banned segregation and job discrimination.

Fair Housing Act

Banned housing discrimination.

Brown v Board

Ended segregation in schools.

Atlanta Hotel v US (Heart of Atlanta Motel)

Upheld Civil Rights Act using interstate commerce.

Loving v Virginia

Struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

Plessy v Ferguson

Said 'separate but equal' was OK (later overturned).

Obergefell v Hodges

Legalized same-sex marriage.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest after Rosa Parks' arrest; led to bus desegregation.

March on Washington

1963 civil rights rally; MLK gave 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Freedom Rides

Activists rode buses to protest segregation.

SCLC

MLK's group promoting peaceful protest.

SNCC

Student-led civil rights group.

Nation of Islam

Black Muslim group promoting black self-sufficiency.

Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader, nonviolent protest.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader, more militant than MLK.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer; first Black Supreme Court Justice.

Rosa Parks

Sparked bus boycott by refusing to give up her seat.

Reaganomics

Reagan's economic plan—tax cuts, reduce regulations, cut social programs.

SDI (Star Wars)

Reagan's plan to build space-based missile defense.

Berlin Wall Speech

Reagan told Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall.'

Equal Protection Clause

14th Amendment—everyone must be treated equally.

1968 Democratic Convention

Protesters clashed with police over Vietnam War.

Wagner Act

Protected workers' rights to form unions.

Social Security

Program that gives money to the elderly and disabled.

SEC

Watches the stock market to prevent fraud.

FDIC

Protects your money in the bank if it fails.

3 Examples of Progressivism

Meat Inspection Act (consumer protection), Child Labor Act (protect kids), 17th Amendment (more democracy).

Significance of Election of 1912

Wilson won due to Republican split, Rise of Progressive ideas, Bull Moose Party showed demand for reform.

3 Examples of Roosevelt's Square Deal

Trust-busting, Pure Food and Drug Act, National parks and conservation.

3 Examples of Wilson's New Freedom

Federal Reserve Act, Clayton Anti-Trust Act, Lower tariffs.

3 Goals of Socialist Party

Public ownership of big industries, Workers' rights, Economic equality.

Progressive Amendments

16th (income tax), 17th (senators by vote), 18th (prohibition), 19th (women vote).

2 US Containment Policies

Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan.

2 Soviet Responses to Truman Doctrine

Created Warsaw Pact, Crushed uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

2 Origins of the Cold War

Different ideologies (capitalism vs communism), Soviet control of Eastern Europe.

Factors of American Failure in Vietnam

Guerrilla warfare, Lack of public support, Unclear goals.

Causes of US Entry into Vietnam

Domino Theory, Gulf of Tonkin Incident.

3 Crises of the 1960s

Cuban Missile Crisis, Assassination of JFK, Civil Rights protests.

NYT v US Ruling

Press had the right to publish Pentagon Papers; government can't censor press.

3 Examples of Reaganomics

Tax cuts for wealthy, Deregulation of businesses, Cutting social programs.

3 Presidential Civil Rights Actions

Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock, Kennedy pushed civil rights bill, Johnson signed Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.

Congress and Civil Rights

Passed Civil Rights Act (1964), Passed Voting Rights Act (1965).

2 Civil Rights Era Cases

Brown v Board: Ended school segregation, Loving v Virginia: Ended interracial marriage bans.

2 Mass Participation Examples

March on Washington, Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Pressure Group Actions

NAACP: Legal battles, SNCC: Sit-ins, Freedom Rides.

3 R's of the New Deal

Relief (help people now), Recovery (fix the economy), Reform (prevent future crashes).

3 New Deal Reforms

Social Security, FDIC, SEC.